SKI | Voyageurs Finish 4th at OUA Championships
With unseasonably high temperatures for mid-February starting to melt the snow-covered trails, the Laurentian Voyageurs Nordic Ski team travelled to Midland, ON hoping to also turn up the heat on their competitors at this year's OUA Championship. Unfortunately, the high temperatures turned the course messy, resulting in the Voyageurs just missing the podium and coming in fourth overall.
Day one of the three-day competition saw the men's team competing in the 10km Free. Ewan Craig led the Voyageurs, coming in 13th overall with a time of 0:28:29.7. The men came in fourth overall for the day with their combined scores, trailing the 3rd place Lakers by 10 points. The Voyageur women competed in the 5km Free with Laura Williams claiming a top ten finish with a time of 0:16:11.0. The women's combined scores placed them 4th overall for the day, just missing the podium by 9 points.
The second day of competition had both men's and women's teams competing in a 3 by 3km free relay. The ski cross relay consisted of a course filled with jumps, sharp corners, banks, and steep climbs and descents. It is a more recent addition to the sport of cross country skiing, and is helping to grow the sport. For the men, Voyageurs Ben Taylor, Matteo Reich, and Ewan Craig skied their way to a 6th place finish with a time of 0:29:35.9. Finishing in 9th place was the second Voyageurs team comprised of Thomas Gore, Mitchell Slobodian, and Colton Labine. Heather Froese, Heather Wilson, and Laura Williams stole a 5th place finish in the women's race with a time of 0:38:10.9. The second women's team included Katie Grove, Lydia Harris, and Sarah Hay who finished the race in 8th place. The relay made for a challenging and fun race with many broken skis and wipeouts across the board.
Messy conditions on the third and final day of competition created a tough 15km Classic Mass Start for the men, and a 10km Classic Mass Start for the women. Battling through difficult, snowy conditions and despite a huge fall, Laura Williams led the women coming in 13th overall. She was followed by Heather Froese who finished in 15th place. Ewan Craig pulled in at 16th place for the men, with a time of 0:49:52.9, followed by Ben Taylor in 20th place.
At the end of the weekend, both men's and women's teams fell just short of the podium, coming in fourth place. The Carleton Ravens went away with gold, the Lakehead Thunderwolves with silver, and with bronze, the Guelph Gryphons for the women and the Nipissing Lakers for the men.
Team captain Laura Williams reflected on the weekend, mentioning that the team "had some tough racing conditions with a few bumps and bruises along the way, but it didn't affect our team spirit". Looking back on the season, Thomas Gore of the men's team said, "We're really proud of how hard we've worked this year. We came really close to the podium this year, and with this amount of dedication and energy continuing on, we will be up there next year".